TORONTO — After  renting space for more than 15 years, the Maon Noam Jewish Cultural and Educational Network has found a permanent home.

Rabbi Hirsch Rabiski, the founder of Maon Noam, stands next to the congregation’s first permanent home.

The Maon Noam congregation, which helps new immigrants from the former Soviet Union reconnect to Judaism, recently bought what used to be the Carrville United Church near Bathurst Street and Rutherford Road. Although the new synagogue is still undergoing renovations, the congregation began using the space last month.

“We just started. After the High Holidays, it should be completely renovated,” Rabbi Yisroel Fridman of Maon Noam said. “We can expand the building. [It] will be something that can be open 24/7.”

Maon Noam currently has several locations across Toronto that provide a range of services from Jewish education and youth programs to bar mitzvah classes and funeral services.

The new synagogue currently runs only a weekly Shabbat service.

Rabbi Hirsch Rabiski, the founder of Maon Noam, hopes to expand the congregation’s activities in the new location.

“It will be a place for lessons, lectures, in the future, maybe a day care,” Rabbi Rabiski said, adding that the building itself is very meaningful. “This is a historical place. It was a 130-year-old church. We cannot destroy it, only change it.”

Rabbi Fridman said Maon Noam is unique because of its philosophy. “One of our main philosophies is [we have] no membership fee. On the High Holidays, everyone’s welcome – there’s no price tag,” he said.

Rabbi Rabiski expanded on the idea of an open synagogue.

“Everybody is welcome. Since we don’t have a membership, we can be close to many different people. Many people feel comfortable [here.] They’re not afraid of being excluded,” he said.

Rabbi Fridman also stressed the importance of volunteers, adding that Rabbi Rabiski is the only rabbi with a salary.

“The synagogue runs on volunteers. They dedicate time to do community service, whether to provide new immigrants with jobs or furniture. The synagogue is funded by donations and volunteers.”

Maon Noam  was founded by Rabbi Rabiski and a group of volunteers, most of whom had emigrated from Russia. While the congregation started with only a few Jews, it has welcomed thousands of families. The synagogue now serves about 2,000 Jews a year. While some only come for the holidays, others are regular visitors. In order to encourage youth participation, Rabbi Rabiski lets young Jews organize various services and events.

“Younger people [must] lead a Jewish life, not leave it to other people,” he said.

Maon Noam also helps reach new immigrants and integrate them into Jewish life, especially those who did not practise Judaism in their country.

“We teach them step by step. We teach them it is necessary to keep Shabbat, to keep kosher. It’s their entrance to Judaism,” Rabbi Rabiski said.

Rabbi Rabiski, who was born in Russia and later moved to Italy, said he brought a different set of values to Canada.

“It’s very different in Russia and Italy. There the approach is that every Jewish service is priceless. Thousands of Jewish people sacrificed to live a Jewish life – it can’t be measured in money,” he said. “Here, everything had a fee. The point is, Jewishness is not a business, you can’t sell or buy it.”

Rabbi Rabiski hopes that the new location will attract new people from the developing subdivisions nearby.

The synagogue represents one of the key concepts of Judaism, he said. “The basic point of Jewishness is to love your fellow Jew. It’s a basic and simple lesson. To realize it in practice, this is our job.”